No More Big Group Selfies; Disneyland Bans Selfie Sticks

Summer is in full swing! While everyone on social media is happily snapping shots with their selfie sticks of their vacations and memories to share with friends, colleagues, and family; if they want to visit the ‘Happiest Place on Earth’, they will unfortunately have to leave those picture-taking poles at home.

While rumors had been swirling for a while, Disney officially announced on June 30th of this year, that they would be banning selfie sticks from their theme parks. This includes Walt Disney World, and the Magic Kingdom, as well as Disneyland. The ban on selfie sticks also went into effect, as of June 30th.

Disney’s move to ban selfie sticks is really one that is motivated to ensure the safety of other patrons and families who visit the Disney theme parks, as well as employees working those sites. A variety of past incidents has led to the change; one of which being a roller coaster that had to be stopped (and closed for an hour) at Disneyland thanks to a passenger pulling out a selfie stick. Not only for riding safety, the selfie stick can also pose a threat when it comes to the large crowds that frequent the theme parks during the ever-popular (and busy!) summer months.

As Disney World spokeswoman Kim Prunty recently noted, Disney aims to offer a great family experience, however, selfie sticks have grown into a huge ‘safety concern’ for both their guests and cast members who work at the theme parks.

Disney is not alone when it comes to its stance on the selfie stick. Recently, historical landmarks and museums around the world such as the The National Gallery in London and Rome’s Colosseum have also banned the hand-held picture-taking pole.

Alas, it is important to note while the selfie stick is banned from Disney theme parks – the selfie is not; and those wishing to capture all their memorable selfie moments at Disney can continue to do so … they just have to use their hand instead of a pole.